P41 billion tuition aid for 2.58 million indigent students

MANILA, Philippines — Congress has allocated P41 billion in tuition subsidies for 2.58 million underprivileged but deserving students who will enroll in private high schools nationwide in the school year 2026–2027.

Marcelino Libanan, House minority leader and representative of the 4Ps party-list, said the funding aims to support students from low-income households as well as those displaced by overcrowding in public schools.

“This allocation will enable an estimated 2.58 million students from low-income households, as well as those in overcrowded public schools, to pursue and complete their secondary education in private schools,” Libanan said.

The subsidy means the government will shoulder the tuition of students who are compelled to attend private high schools in areas where public schools are either unavailable or severely congested.

Libanan said the P41-billion allocation is distributed as follows: P12.3 billion for the Junior High School Educational Service Contracting Program (JHSESC), P26.5 billion for the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHSVP) and P2.2 billion for the Joint Delivery Voucher Program (JDVP).

Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education show that senior high school dropouts remain a concern.